Lumbanon, with his parents obtaining his UPSR results yesterday at SRJK (C) Shan Tao.
KOTA KINABALU: 12-year-old Lumbanon Lim lost his hearing ability at the tender age of two. But that did not stop him from performing excellently in his education, including achieving 7A’s in the recent Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination.
Lumbanon was accompanied by his parents when met at his school yesterday. He lost hearing on both sides of his ears, but is assisted with a hearing device, enabling him to speak albeit limited, mostly due to his shyness.
His father, Lim Cheng Kooi, 53, who is a radiographer specialist, helped relay reporters’ questions to the shy lad who would then help his son convey his answers to reporters, while his proud mother, Mary, stood by his side.
Lumbanon said he managed to perform so well due to having a great support system, both in school and at home.
“My parents supported me every step of the way and I never had schoolmates who would make fun of my disability,” said Lumbanon through is father.
Although no problem proved to be difficult for Lumbanon, he sometimes faced problems studying or learning in groups, so his parents hired a private tutor to help him, particularly in Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, and English subjects, which he attended in the afternoon after school.
Headmaster of SRJK (C) Shan Tao, Goh Teck Seng, who had held the position for the last 15 years, also expressed gratification in Lumbanon’s achievement.
“I’m proud of him for having achieved such great results, despite his condition. One of the things that we also do to support him was maintain a close relationship with his parents and discuss his performance,” said Goh.
The SRJK (C) Shan Tao student was one of the two UPSR candidates with special needs who scored excellent results, out of the 14 candidates registered under the category; the other one being Nur Atiqah Usman of SK Kunak, Tawau.